"I have an overactive imagination and a lot of thetime ​I am constantly visualizing things that aren't there."

DAN MARCUS

Sweet Nightmares: Why make films?​Dan: I don't think I ever had a choice. My step-dad introduced me to movies when I was very young and my imagination was just captivated. I already had a pretty active imagination but the idea that you could imagine something out of thin air and then preserve it forever held a lot of significance for me. I started making home movies when I was in middle school and just the notion of having an idea and bringing it to life was one of the greatest things that I ever stumbled upon.​I'm not a very good artist. I can't sing. I have terrible dance moves. Being able to make films is the only way I can artistically express myself, as corny as that sounds. It's like the world's biggest itch and if I don't scratch it I go crazy!

SN: It's all your step-dad's fault. What are you currently working on?

D: It really is. I wouldn't be making movies if it weren't for him. I'm working on a couple of different projects. I find myself never working on one singular project but several. I just wrapped up a short film called "Closure" that I had been developing for the better part of four or five years. I actually begin reviewing the footage today and I plan on formally beginning post-production soon. I'm also in post on another short film called "In Extremis" that I have been working on for the last couple years. My plan is to get both out by this year!

​After that, I'm turning my attention onto features. I'm going to be producing this psychedelic thriller called "Nostalgia" that I am super excited about. You might know the person directing that. I'm also currently co-writing a feature length version of "Closure" with my good friend William Coffey that I hope to rev up soon. Just the other day a filmmaking friend of mine wanted me to look at his film concept to maybe produce it, so I'm always constantly working on something! I absolutely love it and I wouldn't have it any other way.

SN: It sounds like you can't help but take on various projects to keep the itch quenched. How do you find stories to tell?​Do you take on themes you'd like to portray or is it based on something you're feeling at the time?

D: This is going to sound very pretentious but I find the stories come to me. With my first short film, the idea came to me after I was having problems with my parents. I wanted to make something tangible to show them how I was feeling because sometimes I'm not the best at verbally communicating my thoughts. So that's when I wrote the script for a short film called "Wake". I'll never forget showing it to both my parents individually and the responses were more than I could ever have imagined.​I really made the film for myself and for them. Even with my second film, "Fallen", it was about the idea of a superhero having failed his city. I actually modeled it after my relationship with my biological father, who I thought failed me. When my stepdad died about five years ago, I was in-between projects. I was unsure of what I wanted to do next. When he died, I knew that I wanted to do this sci-fi concept I had been developing called "Streamline" because I knew it was a movie he would have wanted to see. Lo and behold, it became my next project.

When I was trying to figure out what to do after "Streamline", I was having relationship issues and suddenly it became apparent I needed to do "Closure", as sort of self-involved as that sounds! So the projects, ideas and themes totally come to me based on what I am feeling at the moment and what I am experiencing. Every project I do is incredibly personal on some fundemental level, although "Closure" is probably the most personal project I've ever done due to timing and other oddly convenient issues.​​This might sound conceited but I don't really make films for anyone else but me. I certainly hope there's an audience out there that can relate to them on some deep level, but really these movies are therapy for me. It's probably why I make depressing movies all the time!

SN: What is the typical process of creating a Dan Marcus script? ​What's your approach to tackling a story that's meant to be filmed?

D: It usually starts with either coming to terms with something in my life and wanting to do a story that reflects that - or a lot of times these ideas formulate as a result of watching a movie. I'll never forget how "Streamline" came to be. I was watching "Dark City" and I said to myself, "I want to do a science-fiction film", so that night I started writing down ideas of what I wanted to see in a sci-fi movie. With that project, those ideas evolved over many months and even years. I wrote the first draft of that script in a manner of days. I didn't even have an outline. I just had a couple pages of notes and then I wrote this 16 page script. When I'm writing features, I almost always start with an outline. With shorts, it's a lot less organized. I wrote "Wake" without an outline over the course of 48 hours and then just revised that script right up until filming.

​The same happened for "Fallen", "Date of Loss" and pretty much every other script I've either co-written or written. I usually end up going to a friend of mine, who I will eventually collaborate with. For the first couple projects I did, I would come up with the idea, write the first draft and then go to my friend Dave Hammond, who would eventually come on-board and co-write the script with me. I've discovered that I work best with a co-writer - you know, someone to bounce ideas off of. With "Closure", I wrote the first couple of drafts on my own. I collaborated with a couple friends on subsequent drafts but didn't find my groove until I started collaborating with my friend Will Coffey. We started co-writing the script together until it literally became feature length!

​Then I decided to do a 'prequel' to the story we wrote. So back in August or September of last year, I sat down and wrote the script for "Closure" the short film in about 2 or 3 days. That script would evolve over the course of a couple months, but it always starts with an idea and a desire to do a specific kind of film - whether that's a drama or a sci-fi film or a superhero epic or a movie about relationships.

​SN: Are you often satisfied, disappointed or surprised by the outcome of a finished film compared to the initial conception?

D: That is a loaded question! It's interesting because when I first conceive a story that I want to adapt into a film, it's usually different than the finished film because like anything stories and concepts evolve over time. There have been times when I have been disappointed by the outcome of a finished film. When I was developing "Date of Loss", I had this very specific idea of what I wanted to do and the end result was totally different than what I had in my mind.

In retrospect, I realize that was because of time, budgetary and resource restrictions. I told myself next time I would have more time and the resources to do something right and then I did "Streamline". While I am very proud of that film, I made concessions that I shouldn't have and as a result there are elements of that movie I am not entirely happy with to be honest. With "Closure", I told myself I wasn't going to make any concessions unless it was mandatory. Even though we don't have a rough assembly cut yet, so far it has actually met or in some ways exceeded what I initially had in mind. I think as a filmmaker you are always going to be faced with compromise - and the reality is compromise is totally okay and sometimes even necessary.

​However, it depends on how you roll with it. With "Closure", a lot went wrong during filming but we found solutions and we still achieved the things I wanted to achieve - but without any stress or heartache. I think a part of that comes from just doing this a couple times but also having the wherewithal to just push certain things you want to do - so long as they are obtainable. I think with every film I do I get just a little bit more confident and a little bit more assured. It's all part of this learning process of making films and I am constantly learning.

SN: Especially with independent cinema, compromise is a big part of the process. So far, you've created works generally in the genres of drama and science fiction. Is there any particular genre you'd like to take on that you haven't tried?

D: I want to do either a horror film or a comedy. I have ideas for both. I feel like with drama, there isn't an immediate reaction when you see it with an audience. With "Wake", a lot of people told me they were sad when they saw it or it made them think about their relationships with their parents - which is great! In those cases, that was exactly what I was hoping for. However, when you're seeing it with an audience or a group of people for the first time, they don't immediately react. You don't expect an audience member to laugh or shriek when they are seeing a drama or sci-fi film and if they do... well, that probably means something went wrong! I've always wanted to do a horror film partly because of the visceral reaction you can get from people watching it.

​I also really want to do something completely different and do a comedy. I want to see if I can make people laugh. I can make people depressed. No problem! But I want to see if I can actually make people laugh out loud. I have a huge amount of respect for comedians and people who make comedies that are successful. Garnering a laugh out of someone is far from easy. I'm always looking to challenge myself and I think a comedy would be a huge challenge for me. It could either go right or terribly, terribly wrong. I'm excited to find out what might happen. If anything, it would be horrifying to watch with an audience to see if they would find it funny - so I guess I could mixmash both genres in a way.

SN: Some directors love to entertain, others to make people think or rethink, while others just want to shock and scare.​What do you hope viewers generally get out of your films?

D: I think it depends on the movie. With the dramas I've done, I certainly wanted to garner an emotional reaction from people that watch them. With "Streamline", I wanted to do a film that could have an emotional resonance but also hopefully entertain and be accessible to a larger audience. If I ever do a comedy or horror film, I'll have different expectations based on the genre and the type of movie that I do. So I think it varies and just depends on what you're looking to achieve.

I certainly wouldn't expect someone to be shocked or scared after seeing "Wake". I think that's why I want to try every genre because I love all kinds of films myself and I want to generate all kinds of reactions and emotions from people. Eventually, I want to scare people and I want to make them laugh. Right now, I hope people will find emotional resonance with "Closure" when that film is done. I think that's part of the beauty of movies - you can literally make your audience feel whatever you want depending on the story you are doing. That's what makes art so timeless in my opinion.

​The ability to create emotions in people is something that hopefully will never get old for me. Regardless of that emotion, too. If you can say you made someone scared or sad or excited when watching something you've done, then I think you have succeeded. So long as they never bored.

SN: “Wake” dealt with themes of grief and acceptance, while “Streamline”, more or less, was also about coming to terms with a past tragedy. Without spoiling anything, what would you say “Closure” has in store for audiences?

D: If you felt depressed by my previous films before, just wait! I kid. I've always been fascinated by relationships, whether they are platonic or romantic. So I don't want to give too much away but I've always been intrigued by the actions we take toward someone we care about and the consequences of those actions. I think almost every drama I've done has been marred by some parental tragedy and this is completely different. "Wake" and "Streamline" dealt with consequences to actions of the past, while "Closure" deals with consequences to actions of the present.

​That's probably the best way I can explain it. I also promise there won't be any dead mothers in "Closure". With "Wake", I wanted you to hopefully re-think your relationship with your parents. With "Closure", if I am successful, hopefully it'll get you to re-think your current and existing relationships. If I am successful.

SN: Do you ever have doubts in your projects? How do you deal with it?​D: I have doubts all the time! I'm always over-anaylzing this or overthinking that. I deal with it by obsessing constantly. I think the biggest and most helpful advice I ever received was from my step-dad, who would always encourage me to finish what I started. I always had that problem growing up and I still do. I think with directing you have to be able to make decisions. You will always experience doubt, as that is a natural part of any creative process.

​At some point, though, you just gotta commit to what you are doing. I usually seek out console from fellow friends and filmmakers. I think that's been immeasurably helpful. Fortunately, I have surrounded myself with friends and colleagues that are far more talented than I could ever hope to become. So if I find myself unable to make a decision or find myself feeling doubt, I know I have a talented group of colleagues and friends to turn to. At some point, though, you just have to be firm and decide. I think that's one of the biggest parts of filmmaking - the ability to eventually make that godawful, dreaded 'decision'. Once you can do that, though, everything else eventually falls into place.

SN: Something I admire most about your work is the shot design, the mise-en-scène, or everything in your frame.​There is a moment in "Wake" where the boy remembers his mother adjusting his hair, but then it is revealed that he was replacing a nearby mother and young boy with his own memory. How did you develop your style?

D: I wish I had a really intelligent answer but the truth is a lot of it comes from my own experiences. I have an overactive imagination and a lot of the time I am constantly visualizing things that aren't there - or remembering things that happened a long time ago. I don't think I ever imagined myself and my mother together somewhere together, but I've often seen something in my daily life and it makes me think back to an old memory. As you can probably tell, I have a huge fascination with how we perceive things and what that does to our own collective subconscious.

When it comes to framing or shot composition, with short films you have to be economical. You usually have about 10-15 minutes to tell a story. When I first started writing, I started writing features. So I was very verbose with my writing style. When I first wrote "Wake", it was nearly 20 pages. So I had to scale back. "Wake" taught me a lot in terms of communicating ideas - sometimes more than just one singular idea - in a single frame or a single moment. You have to be concise with your decisions and the ideas you want to get across. It helps, I think, that I have an overactive imagination and I'm always constantly looking at things through the lens of a camera viewfinder.

​That sounds really pretentious but it's the truth! In life, even through daily interactions, a lot can happen within seconds. You can be getting dinner with someone and they can act a certain way, which is a response to something you did a while ago or what you're about to do. I love observing people and perhaps part of that observational technique has somehow affected how I visualize certain ideas. In the end, though, I think it just comes from a desire to be economical with my storytelling and visual approach.

SN: Would you say your biggest fear is the possibility of ever sounding pretentious?

D: I feel like I often come across as pretentious, so it's an ever-present fear. If I ever do a horror comedy, maybe it'll be about a guy who is afraid of coming across as pretentious to someone but in reality he or she is pretentious all the time. It can be called "The Ever-Present Pretension". Good thing I am writing this down.

SN: What kind of film would we see if you were given a summer tent-pole budget with absolute creative freedom?

D: I have too many ideas! I wrote a feature-length version of "Streamline" that would cost about $100 million, so I would love to do that one day. It's just an expansion of the short film, but it really explores the world of the characters from the short and the Mnemosyne technology. What would happen if you could re-live memories - or re-live someone else's memories? What if you could experience memories from someone else and thus see things from their perspective? Would we hide deeper within ourselves or would we get new realizations based on events that transpired? I also want to do a feature-length version of "Date of Loss".

​I have a concept that I think is actually kind of cool and I'm not sure if it has been done before. It would basically be the short film how I wanted to do it years ago. I also want to do a mini-series of "Fallen". I wrote it as a comic-book first, so I have the first issue written and I have the remaining seven issues outlined. I would love to do that as a comic-book and then adapt it as a mini-series for HBO or Netflix. It's a huge, huge idea that expands centuries and deals with grandiose themes and concepts such as morality, mortality and immortality. Think "Watchmen" meets "Game of Thrones". Unfortunately, most of my ideas are larger-than-life. I think that's my biggest problem. It's the smaller ideas I need more of.

Music to write to?Hans Zimmer, John Powell, Clint Mansell, Cliff Martinez, etc. I love film composers.​I probably listened to the "Black Swan" soundtrack a million times when I was writing "Closure".